Families affected by prolonged drought, crop destruction by elephants, and cattle raids in Kitgum District are struggling to secure enough food after the government provided relief supplies to only six sub-counties. The relief consignment comprises 250 metric tonnes of posho and 225 metric tonnes of beans, according to Kitgum District Vice Chairperson Smith Opon.
The selected areas are Orom, Orom East, Kiteny, Namokora North, Namokora Sub-county and Namokora Town Council, with a combined population of 50,279 people and 10,184 households, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census.
Each household is receiving 20 kilogrammes of posho and 10 kilogrammes of beans from the consignment supplied through the National Enterprise Corporation.
However, residents say the ration is inadequate for households that have lost crops after prolonged dry conditions, while some communities have suffered additional losses from elephants and cattle raids.
Santa Akello, a mother of five from Kiteny Sub-county, said the drought destroyed the crops her family depended on for food, while elephants later damaged the little cassava that had survived.
Akello said her household received food aid four days before she spoke, but the supplies were only enough to last about a week.
Rose Adokorach, a mother of eight from Orom East, said the ration her household received was also insufficient for her family. The situation has prompted district councillors to call for additional food assistance, with local leaders warning that the current supplies do not match the scale of the food shortage.
Irene Ayoo, the councillor representing Orom and Kiteny sub-counties, urged district leaders to lobby for more relief.
Ayoo also raised concern about communities whose crops have been destroyed by elephants and questioned whether government would provide additional assistance after the current distribution.
Opon said district leaders had engaged the Office of the Prime Minister over the worsening food situation, particularly in communities affected by drought, elephant destruction and cattle raids.
He said the district chairperson and the chairperson of the Acholi Sub-region had travelled to the OPM to lobby for assistance, but were told that drought had affected the entire country, making it difficult for government to provide relief to every affected community.
Opon said the situation in parts of Chua East was particularly difficult because communities were facing several threats at the same time, including crop destruction by elephants and insecurity linked to suspected Karamojong cattle raids.
He said the district had not received any guarantee that additional relief supplies would be provided. The district leadership is now calling for continued engagement with the central government and other partners to expand food assistance to communities affected by drought, crop destruction and insecurity.
For affected households, however, the immediate concern is whether the limited relief already distributed will be followed by additional supplies before their food stocks run out-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
